Tackling entertainment and the two most taboo topics in life - Politics and Religion - from a conservative, centrist and libertarian worldview

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory." Leonard Nimoy

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

The Tea Party Not As Weak As Thought

Before I begin I want to make it clear that as a moderate to conservative leaning thinker I am neither pro or con Tea Party. I view all political parties as necessary evils that tend to become roadblocks to negotiation and much needed compromise on Capitol Hill, the White House and throughout the State legislatures. While all political parties generally begin with good intentions and lofty ideas; over time, with the amassing of more political clout money and power, they soon forget the people they represent and become centrally focused on maintaining that power for their own sustenance.

That being said I do wish to address a trend I had been noticing across the print, network and cable news channels for months prior to this most recent mid-term election and that was the rallying cry from those on the left and within the established right that the Tea Party’s influence in both Washington D.C. and State Houses across the nation was waning significantly.

If one thing the elections yesterday proved just the opposite is the case. In the battle for the U.S. Senate the GOP is up nine possible seats in 2016 giving them a one seat edge over the Democrats while the House jumps up a full sixteen seats in favor of the GOP if those numbers hold in the general election a little more than two years from now.

Across the States the GOP picked up seven governor races. What is most significant about these numbers isn’t that the GOP was the big winner in this recent primary election but the fact that the overwhelming majority of GOP wins were made by Tea Party candidates.

The biggest coup was grabbed in Nebraska with the Tea Party candidate for Senator there breaking against all the barriers and winning big over several established Republican choices. Senate hopeful Ben Sasse walked away from last night’s vote with a clear mandate from Nebraskans' to go to Washington and clearly voice the Tea Party agenda -- smaller government, lower taxes, protection of 1st, 2nd and 4th Amendment rights, less government intrusion on privacy and the removal of ObamaCare.

Overall, with a strong showing of greater than 56% wins in the 2014 election it would appear those pundits hailing the end of the strength and influence of the Tea Party were a bit premature in their prognostications. All this even though those on the left, middle and right opposing Tea Party candidates outspent them 5 to 1.

If the 2016 election were to be held today The Tea Party would become a major player in both the U.S. House and Senate, and who knows, perhaps even The White House.